14/07/2026
New partnership with HRTPGM Holding AB will deliver the Nordic Project DEEP, exploring how employability systems can continue to evolve to deliver high-quality services and sustainable outcomes.
The Institute of Employability Professionals (IEP) has announced the launch of the IEP Nordics Centre for Employability Excellence, a new international partnership with HRTPGM Holding AB that will lead an ambitious programme of research into one of the most important questions facing employability systems today: which approaches to organising employability systems deliver the highest quality outcomes and long-term value for citizens, employers and society?
As labour markets continue to evolve in response to changing economic conditions, technological advances and increasingly diverse support needs, employability systems are facing new opportunities and challenges. The IEP Nordics Centre for Employability Excellence has been established to explore how employability systems can continue to evolve to deliver high-quality services and long-term value through research, professional dialogue and international collaboration.
At the heart of the Centre’s work will be the Nordic Project DEEP (Delivering Excellence in Employability Practice). Using Sweden as its lead system, the project will examine how different approaches to organising employability services influence quality, outcomes and long-term public value. In particular, it will explore the respective roles of Public Employment Services, municipalities and specialist providers, and how these different parts of the system can complement one another to deliver high-quality employment support and sustainable outcomes for citizens, employers and society.
The project will focus on four key areas:
- Professional standards, learning and certification, and their role in developing workforce capability.
- How employability systems are organised and how this influences quality, consistency and effectiveness.
- The contribution of specialist providers within coordinated employability systems.
- The factors that enable effective collaboration between Public Employment Services, municipalities and providers.
By bringing together research, evidence and practical experience from across the Nordic region, the project will create opportunities to identify transferable learning that supports continuous improvement in employability systems. Alongside detailed analysis of the Swedish system, comparative insight from across the Nordic countries will help build a broader understanding of the approaches that contribute to high-quality, sustainable employment support.
The IEP’s growing international network of Centres for Employability Excellence works in partnership with lead organisations around the world to deliver locally focused Project DEEP initiatives. Each project explores the priorities and opportunities most relevant to its country or region, while contributing to the work of the Global Centre for Employability Excellence, where international research, evidence and professional insight are brought together to identify and share what works across different employability systems.
Commenting on the launch, Rasmus Rossi FIEP, Co-Founder and Chairman, HRTPGM Holding AB said:
“The way employability systems are organised has a significant impact on the quality of support people receive and the outcomes they achieve. As labour markets continue to evolve, understanding how Public Employment Services, municipalities and specialist providers each contribute to an effective system has never been more important. The Nordic Project DEEP gives us an opportunity to explore these questions through research, collaboration and professional dialogue, helping to build a stronger evidence base for the future. We are delighted to be partnering with the IEP on this important initiative.”
Scott Parkin FIEP, Group Chief Executive, IEP, added:
“One of the strengths of the IEP’s international Centres for Employability Excellence is that they enable us to explore important questions through evidence rather than assumption. Every Project DEEP focuses on priorities that matters within its own country or region, while contributing to a growing international evidence base through the Global Centre for Employability Excellence. By sharing insight across countries, we can better understand what works, strengthen professional practice and support the continued development of employability systems around the world.”
Further information about the IEP Nordics Centre for Employability Excellence and the Nordic Project DEEP will be shared as the programme develops.